Building Equity in Systems to End Homelessness
The Alliance has a deceptively simple mission — to end homelessness in the United States. But when you start to start to dig deeper — as we have — to understand what that means and what it would take to make sure that all people have a safe, affordable and stable place to live, what becomes very clear is that homelessness does not impact all populations the same way. Therefore, solutions must address the specific needs of people that are a part of different groups who may be situated further away from opportunities.
Who is Most Impacted?
The fact is that some people and groups are more likely to become homeless compared to the general U.S. population. For example, older adults are among the fastest growing populations of people entering homelessness for the first time. People with disabilities tend to experience long-term or recurring homelessness. Young people aged 18-24 who identify as gay or transgender are at double the risk of experiencing homelessness than straight young adults. People living in rural communities while homeless are often undercounted and invisible in such vast geographies. Across these groups, race and ethnicity can compound the risk of being homeless. Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, American Indian, “Alaska Native”, Black, and Latino people are more likely to experience homelessness, and Asian Americans who were historically underrepresented is the group with the largest rise recently.
Why Are Some Groups More Impacted Than Others?
Simple. Our systems. Certain individuals and groups have historically had less economic, social, and political power or representation based on race, sex, religion, ethnic origin, disability, or geography due to their systematic and intentional exclusion. So just about every facet of living was designed without them and contributed to persistent discrimination in housing, healthcare and employment; intolerance and family rejection; and systemic disinvestment in low-income communities.
Most people who become homeless have extremely low incomes – and do not make enough to afford a place to call home. So, it follows that the people who cannot access deeply affordable housing, or high-paying jobs or adequate healthcare or quality education — due to discrimination or because they have been rejected by their support system or come from communities with schools that have not had investment poured into them for decades — become homeless at higher rates.
Even though our mission is simple, to reach our goal and ensure that all people have a safe, affordable and stable place to live requires us to be intentional and deliberate:
- First, by understanding why more people from these groups become homeless. This includes looking at our nation’s major systems – like healthcare, the criminal legal system, immigration, education and child welfare systems — that contribute to these inequities. These systems, that directly feed people into homelessness, often do not work for marginalized and poor people.
- Second, by examining the homelessness response system to identify and correct processes and program design that exacerbate unfair outcomes within our own system.
- Third, partnering with other groups and movements seeking housing justice while centering solutions from individuals with living or lived experience of homelessness.
Our Approach to Expanding the Impact of Lived Experience
Full stop: we cannot end homelessness without working alongside people with living and lived experience of homelessness who bring intimate knowledge of what works and what doesn’t. To fulfill our vision we are working towards integrating lived experience in every facet of our work from shaping research and evidence to developing policy priorities, and how our field implements programs. With a national platform it is our duty to work alongside communities to ensure that those who have experienced homelessness firsthand guide the systemic changes needed to end it.
In 2023, we launched the Community Strategic Team (CST) – an inaugural cohort of lived experience advisors who partner with other lived experience groups throughout the country. They bring solutions to the table, helping us align our work with the realities of those on the front lines, and advocate for policies that reduce harm and make a meaningful difference.
In addition to the CST, each team at the Alliance engages people with lived experience in different ways. Examples include seeking input to inform our technical assistance engagements with communities from start to finish, co-creating guidance for the field such as Interim Strategies For Responding To Unsheltered Homelessness, inviting sponsored guests to our national conferences, and providing meaningful engagement for people with lived experience to shape research and evidence.
Empowering Communities
We provide the tools and knowledge to foster locally-driven, equitable solutions.
Resources for Equity
Our Center for Capacity Building creates resources that help homelessness response systems understand and incorporate equity into their daily practices. These resources are designed to equip organizations with the tools they need to make lasting, equitable changes.
Building the Future
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